pistol grip shotgun load?

I would go with a heavier load and replace the pistol grip with a buttstock. A pistol grip reduces controllability greatly, especially for those lighter in stature, such a s a female. A good 18 in barreled pump 12 GA, such as the 870 or Mossberg would be ideal. The most important thing, whatever you decide, is to get her out there and shoot the thing. A lot. Get her used to it so she knows what to expect and knows how to use it in the eventuality of a break-in or home invasion.

No there are not any good loads for a pistol grip shotgun, because they are bad guns. The pistol grip makes the recoil painful on the wrist and can cause an inexperienced or not very strong shooter to drop the gun. I suggest you get a full sized stock or perhaps a fixed stock with a pistol grip. The 870 is the gun your getting her? pump guns are great for HD but if you want something that reduces recoil you could get a semi automatic shotgun. A Benelli M2 with ComforTech stock has light recoil with heavy buckshot and slug loads but the M2 will be pricey. The less expensive but still great quality Benelli Super Nova with ComferTech is a pump so it wont be expensive but will still offer lighter recoil than with a regular stock. Hope this helps.

I hope you're talking about the normal pistol grip for a shotgun, and not those hideous things they put on "tactical" shotguns. #4 shot should do well enough. At intruder range, the shot may not even have time to leave the cup, so it's more of a fireside arguing point than a real consideration.

You know what? If you are going to give her a shotgun to protect herself, you darn well better take her out into the woods and see if she can shoot it and hit something. You'd better be planning on standing beside her and helping her go through a box of shells.

Seriously. Go find out if she can take it. If not, go sell the shotgun and buy her a pistol that she can always have with her, and she is more likely to gun into a problem out and about.

It's a good load, but not likely to be lethal. It depends on if she wants lethality or not. Some prefer to have a deterent only. That being said, the kick will depend on the gauge as the larger bore propels more mass and has more powder behind it. She should be shooting a 20G or .410 if she is smaller framed and also because she will be shooting from the wrist and not the shoulder.

i have a 12 guage with a pistol grip for a house gun. its barrel is cut off flush with the magazine tube. im telling you, it has tremendous recoil man. maybe its the short barrel, but it is nasty to shoot. its perfect for a house gun because it is so short, but any girl i know is going to drop it when they shoot it. granted, a sawed off shotgun is bar none the best thing out there for home protection, it will do her no good if she cant shoot it without breaking her wrist.

Once you said pistol grip, you lost me. A pistol grip is not good for anything except for posing for pictures. Can make you look like a real bad a** or an idiot, depending who looks at the pictures.

The only kind of "load" I would let a female shoot out of a pistol gripped shotgun is well, you know.

Look for winchester ranger shells. They come in 1oz slugs and buckshot, and are more comfortable than anything else to shoot in a shotgun. I havent tried any other shells marked low recoil, but i think they would work just as good.

It's just me but I wouldn't even consider giving a woman a pistol-gripped shotgun for self defense. That's a Hollywood gun... that's where they have a real use... in the movies... fantasy.